TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONSULTANCY TO
MODERATE THE ONLINE SELF-LEARNING PROCUREMENT COURSE AND
DEVELOP ADDITIONAL TRAINING CONTENT
Introduction
The Government of Mongolia, represented by the Ministry of Finance (“Client”), is implementing the “Third Sustainable Livelihoods Project” (SLP3), which is funded by the World Bank Group and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The development objective of the project is “to improve governance and community participation for the planning and delivery of priority investment in rural areas of Mongolia.”
Within this broad objective, one of the priority set of activities is to improve the budget execution and procurement processes in the rural areas. Accordingly, the SLP3 has provided technical assistance to updating the standardized A3 procurement training materials and the test bank and organized A3 certificate training in all aimags covering representatives from the 330 soums. Despite past training efforts, the number of people holding the A3 certificate, required by law for all bid evaluation committee members, remains insufficient in rural areas. Therefore, in an effort to provide further support in this area, the SLP3 provided technical assistance to developing an online self-learning training portal for public procurement, particularly for the A3 certificate training, and this portal has recently been launched for public use.
International and local best practices of running online training courses suggest that, in order to provide the necessary troubleshooting support to the trainees enrolled and also to monitor the trainees’ learning progress and outcomes, such a training portal is managed by a moderator. Moreover, there is a need to further enrich the training content/materials made available on the online training portal beyond the initial A3 certificate training content. This is due to the fact that implementation of procurement processes is challenging for locals even after they complete the A3 training and obtain the certification. Therefore, the online training portal could make available further knowledge and skills development contents/materials that would help with practical implementation of procurement procedures.
Scope and objective of the assignment
The objective of the assignment is to assist the Ministry of Finance and Government Agency for Policy Coordination on State Property to successfully run the online self-learning procurement course, and develop additional training content to help improve implementation of the public procurement practices.
Detailed Tasks and/or Expected Output:
1. Moderate online self-learning procurement course:
- Organize promotion and advertisement of the online self-learning procurement course;
- Keep records of trainees enrolled and their learning progress and outcomes, and provide instructions to them on how to study the lessons most effectively;
- Run a discussion board and respond to phone enquiries (the consultant’s mobile phone number to be made available on the training portal) to provide answers to the trainees’ questions based on the relevant laws, regulations and the training content and consult with the MOF officials when necessary in this regard;
- Prepare a list of Frequency Aked Questions (FAQ) and answers and update it quarterly.
- Review the learning progress and outcomes of the knowledge check questions and the self-assessment of the trainees enrolled and provide guidance and advice on next steps.
2. Develop proposals to improve the current content of the online self-learning procurement course based on feedback from the trainees and, do the necessary modifications the training materials in consultation with the Ministry of Finance officials.
3. Develop an 8-hour online procurement training content with audio and video visuals that would help support practical implementation of procurement processes at the local level. For instance, the training content could include guidance on developing technical specifications. The additional training content should be developed in consultation with the Procurement Policy Division of MOF.
Consultant Qualification Requirements
- A Bachelor’s degree in public administration, business administration, law or a related field.
- Minimum of 2 years’ experience in public procurement training and research.
- Knowledge and experience of procurement information systems will be an advantage.
Contract duration and cost estimate:
The assignment is expected to commence in February 2023 and continue for ten (10) months.
If you possess the indicated qualifications, please submit a cover letter, indicating why you consider yourself suitable for the position, with a detailed CV highlighting skills/experience, copy of diplomas or certificates and two reference letters from last employers no later than 12:00 PM, 6 February, 2023. Only successful candidates will be contacted. Application documents shall be submitted in person to the below address. Submitted documents will not be returned to the applicants. Incomplete applications would not be considered. If you need any further details, please feel free to contact us.
Contact address: Procurement Specialist, Third Sustainable Livelihoods Project 8th floor, Tod Tower Building, Ankara Street-23, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Tel: +(976)-70009828 (office).